Face the Demons
by Yourmine665
Summary: After surviving the last attack on Gotham, a woman with Agoraphobia walks in on Gothams newest terror, Bane; who is determined to help this woman face her demons, weather it kills her or not. (Rated M for mature, for content and later chapters. I do not own the rights to the move or characters; reviews/ helpful critiques are welcomed!)
1. Chapter 1

Face the Demons

Chapter 1

****Hello my lovelys! I have decided to write another Bane fanfiction from an idea that sprotted over night in my brain. I am not trying to glorify/romantizise this disorder/phobia, I honestly just wanted to try writing about it. I am still working on my other fan fictions but I wanted to try this one out. I love all of you guys and I hope you like this story! (I do not own any of the characters except my OC****

Living in Gotham City with Agoraphobia is like being a seal off the coast of Africa. You always have a feeling that a great white shark is going to try and eat you as you swim into the vast openness of the ocean. But, you have no choice but to swim because the ocean has what you need to survive.

Well in my case, Gotham city is my ocean; and the maniacs that live in the city are my great white sharks. But every day I force myself to swim into the belly of the city so that I can survive. Life was not always like this for me, no I use to be a very social person.

The phobia started after that crazy maniac "The Joker" decided to terrorize the whole city. The whole time he was running amuck I really could care less, all I cared about was finishing my degree at Gotham University.

That all changed when the Joker decided that it would be "funny" to rig two ferries that go across the Gotham Bay with explosives and see who would kill first. You know what was not "funny", being in one of those ferries, thinking that was when you were going to die.

After that incident I slowly started to not go on the ferry any more. In fact after the incident I slowly stopped going out at all. I was able to earn my degree online but it did not win points over with my friends and I slowly started to lose them; one by one. The only way I started to feel comfortable talking to anyone was talking to them online.

I do not want to live the rest of my life living in the horrible city, so I made a plan. I would save up enough money to finally buy a place and move out of the city. It did not matter where I moved to; I just want to get out of this horrible city. But for now I have to wait in this ocean full of sharks in till my life preserve is thrown to me.

My home was is a small town home located in the heart of Gotham city, right down the street from the Daggets Industries office building. I got lucky, my father knew a guy who was able to get a job there where I got to work from my home office, and from time to time I would have to go to the office to drop off payroll.

Today was that god forsaken day, and as usual, I was not looking forward to it. The only way I felt safe was bundling myself up in my dads old giant brown shaggy jacket, my moms old matching green scarf and knit hat, and my rain boots that left no sound while walking.

I stood by the door already full of panic, my hand resting on the first latch of the five I had installed on my door. Each latch I had installed after a major panic attack. I started to do the breathing relaxation techniques that my psychiatrist was teaching me, but I was already tense and anxious.

I took a deep breath, "Breath…breath….its…ok…he's dead…the news said he died in prison….breath…the building is right down the street…you…you can do it…." I let it out and quickly undid the latches and pushed my way out before I changed my mind.

My feet moved quicker than my eyes could adjust to the light. The fear had auto piloted my movements to quickly get myself to the office building that I did not even notice that I was standing right in front of the office building door.

I kept doing my breathing as I made my way to the elevator. When I got in the elevator I took a deep breath. I felt safe in the elevator, it was small and closed off. The bells of the elevator calmed me in till the finally ring, which opened to the 33rd floor, where Daggets office was.

I quickly and awkwardly walked to the glass doors of his office, but something was not right. The lights where off, which he always kept on to show off his office; or so he liked to brag. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, "Its ok. Its ok. Just drop it off."

Making my way around the corner of the door way I dropped my envelope, my heart pounding out of my chest. A body. Whos body. No. no.

Legs shaking, dry throat, I made my way to the body. It was Dagget, Seeing his lifeless body caused me to fall over screaming. His head was twisted all the way around. It looked like it was done by hand from the finger shaped bruises forming around this face and neck.

I started letting out sobbing yelps to try and calm myself "No, no this is a dream…this is a dream… THIS IS A DREAM."

A deep, almost robotic voice roared over my gross sobs, "Where did you come from?" Heavy breathing followed the voice which sent a shiver down my spine.

I slowly turned my head, looking up at the towering man standing above me. He was wearing all black. Black cargo pants, black leather jacket, and some kind of black gas mask that covered his mouth.

Forcing myself to get up and took many steps back, almost tripping over Daggets dead body. I couldn't talk, my voice was dry from fear. I looked up at the man to find him staring at me with his intense look from his tiered eyes.

"Do you dream of dead bodies often my dear?" The man had his hands holding onto the collar of his leather jacket, studying my body as if to calculate my next move.

My phobia had my panic at an all time high now; I did not want to answer the man. But when he started walking towards me with his heavy feet I could only blare out, "SHARK!"

The man stopped with a very confused look on his face, his deep voice ringing in the room again "Shark?"

Embarrassment flushed over me, my face was hot. Why did I yell that?! OUT! I NEED OUT! My phobia kicked into high gear and I started to run towards the window. The window, a way out!

I could hear panic in the man's footing his heavy feet ran after me. I did not think someone that big could run that fast, because in five seconds he had grabbed the back of my jacket, lifting me into the air.

His massive hand forced me to look at his face, he glared into my eyes, my face was hot as I trashed in his grip. The man put his thumb on my lips and just said "Agoraphobia. I haven't seen this in a while."

That sentence caused me to stop thrashing and just stare at the man. He had only just met me, and in five minutes he already could tell I had a phobia. "Tell me my dear, what is your name."

Doing the best I could to force myself to talk, I choked out, "Marlene…Quint.."

He did not say anything after I spoke. We stared at each other in till he belted out "You are coming with me."

Snapping back to reality I started thrashing again, "No NO! LET ME GO! TAKE ME HOME PLEASE! NO! WHERE ARE WE GOING?!"


	2. Chapter 2

Face the Demon

Chapter 2

The massive man hands where gripped tightly on the neck of my jacket to the point where it was hard to breath. But I'm sure that he knew that the moment he let me go, I was going to do everything I could to get away from him.

I was able to calm myself when we where in the elevator going down, but I saw him walking us towards a giant black hummer, I started to thrash again, "LET ME GO! PLEASE LET ME GO!"

My pleas seemed to have fallen on deaf ears because he pulled the hummer door opened and tossing me in, quickly getting in and slamming the door behind him.

Making sure to keep a tight grip on my right arm, he looked down at me with annoyance in his eyes, "My dear where do you live?"

His question caught me off guard. I honestly thought he was about to kidnap me like one of the girls you heard about on the news. I looked up at the driver who was staring at me with cold eyes.

I steadied my panicked breathing, "R-right up the street. 126 Maple Ave. It's the big red apartment."

The massive man waved his hand at the driver and he started to drive which oddly calmed me down. I guess the man noticed because I could feel his grip loosen from my arm which calmed me down more.

When we pulled up to my apartment building, I almost felt like crying. I was so happy and overwhelmed with relief that I had almost forgotten I was with this crazy man.

The man looked down at me intensely again, "Now my dear, you are going to open the door to your apartment, and you are going to let me in. Do you understand?"

I shook my head no which seemed to make him think. He leaned into me, causing me to feel uncomfortable. His metal mask touched my bare cheek, causing me to shiver from the cold. "Do you want me to break down the door?"

Frantically shaking my head no, made him sit up, "Then you will open your apartment for me."

He got out from the hummer and I reluctantly followed after him. I could not get myself to look up at the door, feeling that he was staring down at me. Slowly pulling the keys out of my jacket pocket, I unlocked the three giant locks that where on the door.

The massive man pushed the door opened and put his hand onto my lower back, gently ushering me into my own home. When we got in I quickly walked to my kitchen and pulled a clean cup from the dish washer. I poured myself some water from the sink and chugged it down.

I heard the tv in my living room turn on, then heard his heavy footsteps start to trudge in my apartment. Walking into the living room the images on the news caused me to stop in my tracks.

On the tv was the massive man, and what seemed like him pulling off some kind of robbery. He just like the Joker, causing problems and for their own amusement and pleasure.

I looked at my front door and saw that it was wide opened. He had to have done that on purpose, knowing full well that I would not run away.

Two parts where yelling at me right now, one side was yelling 'RUN YOU IDIOT! GO TO THE POLICE!'. The other side was screaming in my ear, 'Who will believe you? The police have on record the multiple times you have reported someone trying to break in. They will call you crazy again and ignore your claims.'

The man's heavy footsteps came down the stairs and stopped next to me. I heard his dark chuckle under his mask which made me angry. He walked past me and closed the door, standing in front of it, "You chose to stay. Or did your fear choose for you?"

Being in my home, I was finally able to regain my true self and I turned to him, giving him a glare, "Ok asshole, you had your fun. Now leave. I refuse to deal with another Joker wannabe!"

My sudden courage seemed to be a surprise to him because of how wide his eyes got. He put his hands on the collar of his leather jacket and held it tight, walking over to me. "My dear, please do not compare me to maniac. What I do is what is good for the people of Gotham."

Shaking my head I put my hand up as if to try and shut him up, "Yeah like your robber on the stock market. You are nothing than another maniac fucking with Gotham."

His massive hand suddenly clamped over my mouth, keeping me from talking. Leaning his face into mine he made me look at him, "I am glad you have reviled your true self to me, but I will not have you mock me. This time you will not be punished, but next time I will not be so generous."

Releasing my mouth I let out a gasp from fear, taking a few step backs from him, "Just who are you?!"

"My name is Bane, and that is all you need to know about me for now." He walked to the door and looked back at me intensely. "I will back later tonight. I expect you to be washed and presentable for me to take out."

The words 'presentable' and 'out' have not been used towards me in almost two years. I had really stopped caring about the way I looked due not really seeing anyone in person. Sometimes I would not wash myself for a week because it did not really matter.

But the appearance was not causing me to panic, the work 'out' kept echoing in the back of my head. I started to grow angry, clenching the glass in my hand. "I already went out for today! I am not going out again! You can't make me!"

He did not need to say anything; his intense glare was enough for me. I knew he could make, he already had proven he can make me do things I did not want to do. He opened the door slightly, taking his gaze off me. "Remember my warning my dear and be ready, or else."

After he shut the door firmly behind him I threw the glass at the door out of anger. I hated him! I knew nothing about him but I hated him! But there was something I feared about him, which made me realize that maybe it would be best to do what he said.


	3. Chapter 3

Face the Demons

Chapter 3

Doing what Bane wanted me to do, I had washed myself and did what I thought made me look presentable.

I washed my long wavy brown hair, pulling out all the kinks but always left my hair full of volume. I put on a clean pair of blue jeans, a white wife beater and a blue zip up hoodie.

Looking at myself in the mirror I let out a disappointed sigh. Gazing upon my blotchy pale skin always made me sad and disappointed in myself. I have been watching myself detirierate over the last two years scene my phobia had started and I had enough of it.

The psychiatrist I have been seeing for a couple of months was nice but she did not seem to connect with me and my problem. Every time I would try to fix myself she would advise me not to, just tell me to breath. All the time, breath.

It did calm me, but that's all it did. I honestly was starting to lose hope that I would ever get better. Shaking my head to try to keep the negative thoughts down, I started to put on cover up to hide my blotches.

I put on the finishing touches of black eyeliner and mascara as I heard a loud knocking coming from front door. Letting out a fearful sigh I quickly made my way downstairs and slowly opened it to find Bane standing tall.

He slowly pushed his way into the apartment and studied me as I closed the apartment door. "I was hoping you were going to wear something more presentable."

I shook my head in angry and looked up at him, "You set your hopes to high."

He let out a robotic sigh of disappointment and walked slowly to the stairway "My dear I saw nicer things in your closet."

"YOU WENT THROUGH MY STUFF?!" I quickly walked over to him and slapped his arm as hard I could, causing Bane to chuckle.

Bane started to walk up the stairs, "Secrets will not be withheld from me, that includes your possessions." I watched as he walked into my bedroom, causing my anxieties to rise.

He came out, holding up a black plume blouse; a nice top I bought years ago but never bothered to wear. Tossing it at me, I held it quietly in my hands.

I looked up at him as he gazed down at me with tiered eyes, "You will wear this tonight, I will not have you embarrass me when I bring to meet people."

Before I would yell at him, he put his thumb on my mouth, almost rubbing it, "If you will not change your clothes, I will change them for you."

I felt my face get hot from embarrassment and angry, causing me to instinctively run away from him to find safety in my room. Slamming the door behind me I did my best to keep my rage from bubbling over, but dear god I hated this man!

Ten minutes later I emerged from my bedroom, wearing the top. I always like the way it made my chest look bigger and perkier, but I did not want to show off my assets around a crazed man like Bane.

He studied me with pleased eyes as I walked down the stairs, "Now you look presentable, come, we are late."

My anxiety and fear flowed through my body and brain as I quickly put on my raggedy jacket, rain boots, and matching hat and gloves, bundling myself to feel safe.

Bane watched me from the doorway, as I walked to him slowly; fumbling with my keys in my pocket. "I-I have to lock up. Give me a second."

My breathing became quick and heavy as fear fell into the pit of my stomach. Fear slowed my feet as I stood in the door way in front of Bane; my gaze averted to the floor.

My head screamed 'Breath…breath…we can do this…be brave…' but it did not help me calm down that I knew full well I was getting taken somewhere by some psycho.

I guess Bane grew tired of my stalling because he grabbed the keys from my hands and lifted me into his massive arms. I screamed out of fear and embarrassment as I started smacking his chest. But it seemed to not affect him as he locked up my apartment, carrying me to the black hummer.

Carrying me into the hummer, as soon as he slammed the car door shut, the hummer took off quickly. I covered my face and shook violently; I could not believe he would do that to me.

Bane pressed his cold metal face mask into the back of my neck, it rumbled into my skin as he spoke, "If I did not take you, we would have been there forever. Your fear is your weakness, I tend to help you rid of it."

I refused to talk to him, my fear and angry made me impossible to think of anything to say to him. Embarrassment was flooding over me; due to him treating me like I was a child.

Being forced to sit in his lap did not help me feel better either. It seemed like the more I would struggle to get out of his grip, the tighter he would hold me in place.

After what seemed like an half an hour of driving, we pulled up the a tall sky scraper, driving into the parking garage that was located underneath it.

Bane finally placed me down to let me walk, but would not let go of my arm. Again, I'm pretty sure he knew if I had a chance to run, I would.

Dragging me to an elevator, Bane hit the button to the 76th floor and let me go once the elevator doors closed. Letting go of my arm, he fixed the collar of his jacket, "You will be meeting a close friend of mine in a minute. If you insult her in any way you will be punished."

I did not answer him, nodded in agreement. The only thing I was focusing on now was my breathing, doing my best to keep it from getting to erratic. All I could think about was getting this over with quickly so that I could get back home.

When the elevator door opened, we were greeted by a petite woman with auburn medium length curly hair with soft eyes and a warm smile on her face. I was taken aback by how friendly the woman seemed.

She was wearing a black t-shirt and a red flowing skirt that hit her knee, along with a red scarf that had gold detailing on it. I looked down at my ragged jacket and started to feel embarrassed, for being under dressed.

"Hello there, you must be Marlene, Bane told me you would be joining us for dinner." The woman walked over, causing me to insistently lean away from her.

Sinking into myself, I looked down at my feet, "Oh….thats…nice to hear..I…I'm sorry I have no idea who you are…"

Sighing softly and took a step back, "My name is Talia, and I should be the one to say sorry. Bane told me all about you and of your phobia, I should know better than to rush you. But please easy your troubled mind; you are safe here."

Her words oddly calmed me down, giving me the courage to step out of the elevator. I stood before her and actually found myself smiling a little, "I'll try but..no promises…"

Talia smiled warmly, "Well please come in, dinner is waiting for us." She turned and walked slowly ahead of us. Bane put his hand on my lower back and ushered me along.

I was led to giant room with a small black dining table placed in the middle of it. It looked like plates of food where already set up for us. The smell made me walk a little faster; I did not actually remember the last time I ate today.

Talia sat at the table and looked up at me, "Please take off your coat."

Looking at myself I slowly took off the jacket and Bane slid it off me, putting it on the back of a free chair. Before I could do it myself, Bane had taken my scarf and hat off. Slapping his hands I glared at him, "I'm five! I can undress myself!"

Bane chuckled in amusement and ushered me to sit down. He put my things down and stood tall, letting out a loud breath "Talia my dear, I sorry but I have a very pressing matter to attend to. I will not be able to join you two."

The two nodded at each other before he locked his eyes on me. The look in his eyes was odd…like he was regretting leaving me here alone. His massive hand grazed my shoulder as he trudged down a hallway into a giant door way.

I looked at Talia who was smiling widely at me, now I felt really out of place. It had been so long scene I had to be company to someone who was not in my home.

Talia picked up her fork, "I hope you like the food, I picked up the ingredients for it at a farmers market."

I looked at the food before me, roasted Italian chicken with mashed potatoes and some asparagus on the side. "It looks…really nice…thank you…"

The food smelt amazing, but I honestly was not that hungry. I was stressed out beyond belief which caused my appetite to be lost. However, I did not want Bane to find out I rejected Talia's food and get punished for it.

I picked at my food slowly and kept my eyes on my plate, doing my best to not make any awkward conversation. This however, left us in the quiet for an good ten minutes.

I heard Talia clear her throat which caused me to look up at her. She smiled and spoke softly, "Bane has been in his room all day looking over plans for Gotham, but also making you his side project. Tell me, how did you two meet again?"

Biting my lip I replied, "I was delivering the pay roll to Dagget like I do every week….and I found him dead…and then Bane appeared….."

Talia nodded and wiped her mouth, "He has a way of doing that."

"Why has he brought me here…" I kept my eyes on my plate, not having the courage to look up at her.

She let out a sigh and sat up straight, "To him, to have someone as young as you living in constant fear and restriction is absurd to him. Just like all his men who have feared something, he wants to help set you free of it."

I sat there, confused by her statement. How many people has this man tried to 'save'? Was he planning on trying to make me one of his mindless goons like the Joker did too many delinquents of Gotham?

Talia put some chicken into her mouth and spoke again, "There is also the fact that he has always found American women…how do I put it…exotic?"

I looked up at her with confusion in my eyes, "Ex…otic? Exotic is what you call a fancy sports car or a fruit no one has seen before."

Talia chuckled softly, "Bane finds all American women to be exotic. You all are the perfect example of what happens when women are taught to submit but have the free will to do what you want. Women here get to choose and do pretty much whatever they want."

I put my fork down, "So you're telling me that Bane not only has 'white knight syndrome' but he also has a fetish for disobedient women."

Talia raised her brows, "Is it hard to believe that he finds you attractive?" Talia smiled after her words and ate some more, leaving me beet red and feeling uncomfortable.

Talia finished her food and spoke again, "Bane is a good man; harsh but good. He is a very good companion to have when one is feeling low. Though I must warn you, his methods to help you might be…harsh."

I quickly and awkwardly stood up, almost knocking the chair over, "E-Exucse me but where is your bathroom?!"

Tailia smiled, "Down the hall and to your left."I nodded in thanks and started to almost jog down the hallway and to the bathroom.

When I found it, I locked the door and pressed my back against it, sliding down to the ground. My face felt so hot, I felt so awkward right now, I just wanted to run away. There was no way a psycho could only like me after meeting me after couple of hours. Then again he is a psycho!

Though it was nice to know that where people who wanted to help people like me, just out of the kindness of their hearts. A loud knock on the door snapped me back to reality, "Marlene. Open the door." It was Bane. I really did not want to see him right now.

I looked up at the door and yelled, "I'm fine. I just needed a breather."

Bane was quiet for a minute. I heard him let out a sigh, "We are leaving now, I will fetch your things."

I stood up slowly as I heard his heavy feet move away from the door. Just hearing that we would be leaving was enough to make me feel better.

Walking out of the bathroom, I found Bane and Talia standing at the elevator; Bane holding my things.

Talia spoke to me as I started to dress myself, "It was very nice meeting you Marlene, I hope we get a chance to spend time with each other soon!"

I replied quietly, "Sure…yeah…that would be nice…thanks for dinner." I turned from the both of them and pressed the elevator button, quickly talking into the elevator, Bane following after me.

When we finally got in the hummer, I could feel Banes harsh intense gaze upon me, "Talia tells me that you did not eat that much."

I closed my eyes tightly in fear, "I wasn't that hungry."

I sat in silence as I heard Bane move closer to him, "You need to eat, starving yourself will not get your fears to leave you."

I glared up at him, "Can…Can you just…take me home!? I did what you wanted, so please…just leave me alone!"

His eyes turned cold but he still ran his hand down the side of my cheek, causing me to instinctively slap it away. Bane chuckled at my defiance, "Ok, we can go home." Bane waved his hand and the hummer sped off to my house.

When we pulled up to my place, I quickly got out of the hummer. Patting my jacket pocket for my keys I started to panic.

"Looking for these my dear?" I looked back at Bane to find him holding my keys up. I had totally forgotten that he locked up.

He walked up slowly and opened the locks, opening the door for me. I ran in a practically ripped off my jacket, being over joyed to be home again.

I heard Bane walk into the apartment and shut the door behind him, "You should probably get some rest my dear. The day was long on you and has probably taken a toll on your body."

Tossing my things onto the couch and looked at him tiredly, "I will once you leave."

Bane shook his head and walked over to me, slowly taking his leather jacket, revealing his tight black long sleeved shirt. "My dear, in order for me to help you, I must stay here."

Shaking my head violently I started to yell, "NO! No no no you have to leave! I will not have a psyco that the police are probably after live in the once place I feel safe in! GET OUT!"

Banes covered my mouth with his hand like a clamp once more, using his other hand to hold my arm in place, "If you do not calm yourself, I will do it for you."

My yelling started to fill with fear, "I don't need to do shit! You..DICK! LEAVE!" I tugged and tugged but he was too strong for me.

Taking his hand off his mouth, he put his hand into his pocket he pulled out a syring, the sight of it made me stop struggling. "What the fuck is that?!"

Bane brought the syringe close to my face, "This my dear is a very strong sedative. This is a part of your behavior therapy. Every time you defy me, I will put you to sleep. You let your emotions run wild which is not wise. You will learn to control your fears and anger."

I studied his eyes, he was testing me. He wanted to see just how much control he would have over me. Scoffing at him, I slapped his cheek but groaned in pain from hitting his metal mask.

He pulled out my arm and started to look for a vain. Tugging violently I tried to get him to stop but he found a vain, sticking the needle into my arm.

I let out a scream but quickly started to feel groggy. This stuff really was powerful. My body leaned against his, cauing him to scoop me into his arms.

Caring me up to my room, he pushed the bed room door opened and sat me down on my bed. He carefully slid off my rain boots and tucked me into bed. The whole time I tired to beat him up with my now limp noodle arms.

As he lied my head on my pillow, his hand rested on my cheek, petting it softly, "Tomorrow you will start therapy with me. So get as much as you can."

I stared at him with heavy eyelids, "Fuck…off…" The last thing I heard was his chuckle as I drifted into sleep.


End file.
